The Rise Of American Language Standards

In the 1800s, America began looking inward, not to England, for its language standards. The new norms were recorded in d... (more)

In the 1800s, America began looking inward, not to England, for its language standards. The new norms were recorded in dictionaries, spelling books, and grammars, and celebrated in a profusion of distinctly American literary works. Noah Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain are all key figures in this stage in the historical development of American English. (less)